Federal authorities are warning that Middle Eastern terrorists could be entering the U.S. through the southern border.
Following the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,400 dead and at least 200 held hostage, a handful of public officials — both Republican and Democrat — have raised concerns that America’s porous border could facilitate entry into the country by terrorists seeking to launch a U.S. attack. The FBI said it had no information on specific threats.
It has now been confirmed that federal law enforcement authorities are cautioning that members of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) could be crossing the border into the U.S., according to a memo from the San Diego Field Office Intelligence Division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” according to the internal memo, which was obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The memo advised federal border personnel to screen for indicators that include military aged males, military gear, lone travelers, and ties to the region. It also lists “questions of interest,” which includes asking about a person’s association with any military or security service, and any familial association with terrorist organizations.
“Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico,” the memo added just above photos of the patches of Hamas, Hezbollah, and PIJ.
Since President Joe Biden has taken office, the U.S. has seen a huge spike in illegal migration. More than 7.2 million illegal aliens have entered the nation since January 2021, with monthly numbers continuing to break records.
Last month, it was reported that more individuals on the terrorist watchlist were intercepted at the southern border in July than during all of Fiscal Year 2022 combined.
“Terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States,” officials warn in the Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment.
